Review: I Dreamed A Dream

The entire world first dismissed her when Susan Boyle appeared on our screens in that gold dress and crazy hair, but now we are all familiar with the name SuBo, but we're not all clued up about the struggles that Boyle faced throughout her life. But now "I Dreamed A Dream" shows us the true Susan Boyle in a jukebox style musical.

Although the dialogue can be extremely cringe worthy at points (imagine a series of GCSE drama monologues scattered between songs) and some of the choreography had me wincing in my seat (a moment of unnecessary contemporary chair movement, it's hard not to be moved by the truthfulness and honesty behind the storyline and talk of achieving dreams. The short, snappy scenes keep the pace going smoothly and are entertaining to watch. The clever use of TV screen scattered against a backdrop allow the scenes to transition quickly and seamlessly.

Elaine C Smith plays the title role and has a pair of lungs on her, performing some of Susan's signature songs and directly telling the audience her 'fairy story' in between flashes of scenes and songs. The script cleverly overlooks Susan's learning difficulties and Smith portrays an honest telling of her life. The rest of the cast play a number of roles ranging from Boyle's parents, to school bullies, to her best friend. The company string well together and have a strong impact in the development of the plot showing the versatility amongst them. The whole company deserved the standing ovation on press night.

Having sat through Boyle's whole life in two and half hours it's not until the final moment when SuBo herself makes an appearance to sing some of her famous songs that the plot really hits home and makes you realise how inspiring this tale is. SuBo still remains the cheeky performer we all fell in love with and the audience revelled in her stage presence.

After being sceptical on so many levels on another jukebox musical, it's clear to see that the rags to riches fairy story is an all round win. It's the new real life, inspiring Blood Brothers, but with a magical ending.

Wonderful Town is Wonderful

Leonard Berstein's New York inspired musical Wonderful Town arrives at the Birmingham Hippodrome this week, giving audiences classic Broadway showtunes and energetic dance numbers. The production stars West End favourites Connie Fisher and Michael Xavier as Ruth Sherwood and Rob Baker as well a strong supporting cast and a tight ensemble.

Lucy Van Gasse stars as Fisher's petite blonde stage sister - Eileen Sheerwood - with the looks and voice to match her natural stage presence. Her comic timing and performance of the love ballad "A Little Bit in Love" is charming, funny and commands attention. Nic Greenshields is funny but loveable as the larger than life Wreck, with hilarious chemistry with his onstage wife Tiffany Graves. The show boasts a strong supporting cast, each one deserving individual praise for their hard work and commitment to the show. Connie Fisher plays a good leading lady and is an instant win with audience's, although Gasse really should have the final bow... The main cast is only made stronger by a talented ensemble, spending the majority of the show performing highly energetic dance routines that keep the production's pace going.

Lucy Van Gasse steals the show as Eileen

Andrew Wright's contemporary musical theatre styled choreography is enough to buy a ticket alone. From dancing inhabitants of New York city opening the show with sustained lifts, charming Sailors doing the Conga to a drunk a passionate ballet in a Jazz Club, Wright's choreographic vision for the show works extremely well. My personal highlight was the number "Conquering New York" where the company creates the hustle and the bustle of the big city using clever movements with props. Although Simon Higlett's design of two huge skyscrapers disappearing into the distance and dirty apartments that fall apart before your eyes are interesting and intelligent, it seems as if the production budget ran dry before the set was able to be finished to make it look truly magnificent.

With so many classic musicals being revived recently theatre goers are more than spoilt for choice, however, the music, talent and choreography of Wonderful Town make this revival a funny and heart warming evening out, perfect for anyone wanting to be whisked away to the good old days of Broadway and the Big Apple.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical "The King and I" has landed at the Birmingham Hippodrome this week transporting audiences to Siam with a strong company, tight vocals and even tighter choreography.

From the moment the overture began and projections and shadow puppets filled the stage the audience was captured with the beauty of the piece. Being anxious to begin with I wasn't too sure on what to expect from the Leicester Curve Theatre's revival but I was engrossed from start to end with the captivating love story of an English school teacher and the King of Siam.

David Needham's contemporary Asian inspired choreography is a wonder to watch and is brought to life on stage by a company made up of international dancers. Dare I say this is some of the most interesting choreography I've seen in musical theatre for a long time? Meanwhile, Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic score resonates through the theatre via a live orchestra presented onstage. I had forgotten how lush this score was until I heard some of the most iconic musical theatre songs sung with such passion and control with a wonderful orchestra as the underpinning of the show. Although the set was slightly lacking an "oomph" factor, two giant Buddha's and sliding panels worked well to set the scenes.

Josefina Gabrielle (Anna) and Ramon Tikaram (The King) keep the show churning as they develop the plot with hilarious delivery of dialogue having the audience chuckling along throughout. Their comedic playing is only upstaged by the dramatic ending and their scenes together the last twenty minutes of the musical. Gary Wood as Prince Chululongkorn is captivating to watch as he watches his father dying. A strong company all round, the show's casting director got it perfect.

Originally I wasn't expecting to enjoy this show, a three hour classical musical that I've never been to keen on doesn't seem like the most appealing way to spend an evening, however, my preconceptions were soon diminished when I saw the skill, passion and talent behind this production. It's three hours of what musical theatre should and puts a lot of shows out there to shame... An enjoyable night for anyone.

International Dance Festival Birmingham - Royal Ballet Flanders Artifact

The International Dance Festival Birmingham has returned for another year showcasing some of the world's most prestigious and exciting dance performances. Bringing dancers from all over the world the DanceXchange and the Birmingham Hippodrome are putting Birmingham on the map in terms of creativity and premieres. At the press launch for the festival (taking place all over the city from 23rd April - 19th May) we were treated to preview performances from "Home", a free outdoor performance exploring the theme of what "home" means to us. An interesting performance of contemporary dance with a heartfelt meaning behind it - this world premiere performance is free and taking place throughout the city centre.

To kick start the festival, Royal Ballet Flanders (the only classical ballet company in Belgium) brought William Forsythe's "Artifact" to the Hippodrome, a modern ballet with Character in Historical Costume and Character with Megaphone telling a large company of dancers to "step inside" as they dance in stern precision. A ballet in four parts, it had just the right pace and structure to not get boring nor aimless. Eva Crossman-Hecht's composition to accompany part of the performance emotes and is listenable to all evening long. With either a live pianist or a live violinist as music, the simplicity works and allows you to focus on both the sound and the dance at the same time while appreciating both crafts.

Highlights of the evening include dialogue between both the Character's, although the majority of the audience found the repetitive dialogue sending them slightly insane, I found the varying intonation captivating portraying different moods for different parts. Intricate lighting plots create illusions and develop the story whilst the lack of scenery does nothing to develop nor halt the production but forces the attention onto the performers. I've seen many a ballet productions but never have I been able to describe the ballerina's as "flying" during the pas deux sections. Although the majority of the audience had no clue as to what they were watching or the story behind it, the ballet worked.

Artifact is my ideal vision of modern ballet, verging on contemporary, but most of all storytelling, giving the audience members a chance to become lost in their imaginations whilst watching one of the world's most precise ballet companies. A solid opening to the International Dance Festival Birmingham, the festival looks set to be a highlight of the season.

Slava's Snow Show is a Must See!

From the minute I walked into the auditorium covered in snow I felt that I wasn’t in for an evening of “usual” theatre, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed. Usually I find rather easy write a review; I can talk about what cast member I liked the most, my favourite song, what didn’t work too well in my opinion and so on. However, with this show I just don’t know where to begin! One sentence best sums up this performance: Slava’s Snow Show is amazing! It is literally a visual feast of delightfulness.

A company of clowns enchant audiences as they cover them in a blizzard, wrap them up in a giant spider web, throw massive inflatable balls out and cover them in water. There’s not much story behind the entirely mimed show but it seems to bring out the inner child within you, who wouldn’t feel like a child when you’ve got half a dozen clowns throwing water at you?

I’m not going to lie, at first I was a bit sceptic. Did I really want to sit through a show of clowns miming? I found out I did! The show moves so fast with so much fun there’s not a moment for you to get bored.

Since seeing the show I’ve had a dozen people ask me if it’s “scary”... (The whole “I’m scared of clowns situation”) and it isn’t! Is it weird that I actually felt sorry for the clowns? The characters make you fall in love with them, not fearful of them.

I don’t want to write too much as it will give everything away, but seriously, there’s no wonder this show won a Tony. Get a ticket!

Visit Birmingham Hippodrome for ticket and show details.

My First Night at the Dance Xchange

Last night I was invited to attend Hofesh Shechter’s "Uprising and The Art Of Not Looking Back". Having never attended a legit dance production before I wasn’t too enthralled about the whole idea... My initial ideas could not have been more wrong. From the moment I entered the auditorium with usher’s offering me earplugs I knew that I was in for an evening of something interesting.

Act 1 consisted of a company of male contemporary dancers in an act entitled “Uprising”. I was amazed at their core strength and ability to mould themselves into all directions... Being a dance student (I know, a dance student who doesn't like watch dance shows seems crazy) I can only imagine the years of practise gone into being able to have such control over their movements. It’s also important to note their selling of the performance: the dancers fully committed to the performance and conveyed strong emotions to the audience of dance students, dance enthusiasts and general public. After some amazing flooreography (dancing on the floor... that’s not a technical term) Act 1 ended with a man being suspended by the other dancers waving a red flag (a nice homage to Les Mis in my opinion).

Act 2’s “The Art of Not Looking Back” was presented by a female company. The juxtaposition of men beating each other up in Act 1 to the female dancers performing jaunty ballet positions whilst shaking their stomachs violently at the sky tells us a lot about the artistic choices behind Hofesh’s idea. My highlight of the show was when the men joined the women and the whole company performed a spookily sped up version of the whole show in dimly lit shadows. I believe the lighting plot played a huge part in the success of this show... Without it the dance effects wouldn’t work.

Not being a huge fan of watching dance performances beforehand this show has definitely opened up my mind to a new branch of theatre... I was always under the impression that dance was supposed to tell a story and even though I could not for the life of me decipher a story from the whole piece it was thought provoking and extremely clever. In my reviewing notes I wrote “something from a Saw movie” which I pretty much sum up the whole concept of this piece. I would urge anyone to check out Hofesh’s or the Dance Xchange’s work.

Evita Returns to the Hippodrome

The Bill Kenwright tour of “Evita” returns to the Birmingham Hippodrome this week to delight audiences with a sweet production.

Abigail Jaye delights as Evita.


Abigail Jaye gives a stunning and sassy performance in the iconic role of Eva Peron. With vocals that melt your ears she overpowers the orchestra and gives a memorable performance of the show tune anthem “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. Jaye laps up the audience’s applause and it’s easy to see she’s in her element in the title role. Co-stars Mark Powell and Mark Heenehan (as Che and Peron respectively) support their leading lady well and offer good vocals and steady performances throughout. My highlight performance goes to Sasha Ransley in her role as the Mistress as she melts audience’s hearts with her rendition of “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”. Reuben Kaye as Eva’s lover Magaldi provides a strong character and luscious vocals. The show’s ensemble support the leading players and deliver strong harmonies (and lots of costume changes). The quirky ensemble number “Peron’s Latest Flame” offers a good build up to the act one finale of “A New Argentina”.

The ensemble in the showstopper "Buenos Aires"

Conductor David Steadman has a great Andrew Lloyd Webber score to work with and the musical arrangements are a feast for the ears as audiences are delivered some of their most memorable musical theatre songs ever written. With music ranging from tango to rock, the score helps to develop the story along nicely and allows for some great vocals from the ensemble with haunting harmonies. Matthew Wright’s design stole the show, with a set composing of moving staircases, sliding balconies and shadowing Argentinean pillars, the visual aspect for audiences is delightful.

The production is a nice show, it has all the right elements – good leads, good score, good set but I can’t help but think something is lacking. Maybe it’s the overload of slow ballads, or the lack of “wow factor” effects; I don’t know. Whatever I think, it’s clear to see that audiences love the show from its great success: it’s been playing the UK for a good few years and has even had an international leg on its tour.

Finally a big shout out and round of applause for some of my buddies who are appearing in the show in the Birmingham stop of the tour... I was like a proud father watching you.

A True Night at the Theatre for “Top Hat On Stage” at the Birmingham Hippodrome

“Dress to impress! It's Black Tie and Tiara night...” As I walked the red carpet at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre last night I could tell I was in for a true night out full of glitz and glamour. Even before the show began I immediately felt like I had been taken back in time to 1930s Broadway: there were ties and tiaras galore and the people of Birmingham had really gone all out for opening night.

The house lights dimmed and to the audience’s delight the conductor appeared and conducted the 23 piece orchestra under the glow of a follow spot; a definite throw back to the golden age of musical theatre. Three times Olivier Award nominee Summer Strallen and Strictly Come Dancing star Tom Chambers are the perfect duo to lead the strong company of 31 in this musical farce based on love and false identity. They play the roles made famous in the film by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, happy go lucky Broadway star Jerry Travers and the sassy Dale Tremont. Tom Chambers delights the audience with his Fred Astaire tap numbers, especially the act one finale when he is joined by the rest of the company, whilst Summer Strallen charms us with her beautiful rendition of “Better Luck Next Time” as she realises her love life is falling to pits. A personal highlight for me was watching the two leads fall in love in a London park as they tap and sing to “Isn’t It A Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain?)”. Pure brilliance! Other highlights include Martin Ball and Vivien Parry’s act two duet “Outside of That I Love You” as they bicker over their marriage, whilst Ricardo Afonso and Stephen Boswell give genius comedic performances as the Italian fashion designer Alberto and the slightly deluded butler Bates. The cast of 31 continue this delightful performance as they simultaneously tap away in company numbers and bring to life scene including a Broadway stage, an upper class London hotel and a Venice beach.

A big round of applause is in order for choreographer Bill Deamer, mixing ballroom, tap and vaudeville styles to create a visual feast for theatre goers. It all looks perfect on a set designed by Hildegard Bechtler who uses sliding flats, beautiful backcloths and revolving beds to take us to nearly 30 locations. And what’s this show without the music? Although the film only had 5 songs, the creative team dug through Irving Berlin’s back trunk to create a beautiful score that takes us back to the golden era of musicals. Although, I couldn’t help but get distracted by some of the sliding flats getting stuck during scene changes, a few backcloths rising too early (and I’m pretty sure Tom Chambers might have been miming a few of his numbers, forgive me if I’m wrong...)

A big cheer should also go to the Hippodrome staff for hosting the “black tie and tiara” dress code and laying out a red carpet. It’s funny how theatres have spent the past few years making shows more accessible by diminishing dress codes and the affluent nature of the theatre, yet a sense of nostalgia filled the air as the audiences agreed that the theatre should be a place where you can get dressed up and feel elegant.

A 5 star production that deserves every success it gets, and if not more! It’s really good to see a piece of new commercial theatre that’s bringing something fresh to audiences. This show feels old in a sense that it takes you back to a time when theatre was an elegant night out, yet it feels fresh and exciting.

The show plays at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 10th September, before continuing its UK Tour.

Visit for tickets and for details on the show and the rest of the tour.

Hippodrome Rocked Out By Brian May and the Cast of “We Will Rock You”

Theatre goers and Queen fans were united on Thursday at the Birmingham Hippodrome for the Press Night of the national tour of “We Will Rock You”. The title certainly fits the electrifying musical from the moment the auditorium is filled with smoke, strobe lights and the sound of the band striking up. The music (conducted by Jim Henson) rose deafening heights as the auditorium began to shake with the excitement of 26 of Queen’s hit songs. The popular songs fitted nicely with the storyline about two rebel outcasts in a technological future where real music has been replaced by auto tuned pop songs: it is there mission to save rock and bring back individuality to the Planet Mall and override the Killer Queen and the robotic GaGa kids.

The cast features a lot of well known faces: X Factor’s Rhydian, Hear’Say’s Noel Sullivan, Leon Lopez (Brookside), Jenny Douglas (BBC’s Over the Rainbow) and Ashley J Russell (BBC’s I’d Do Anything) supported by a high energy, slick, and good looking ensemble with dozens of West End credits between them, including the London and international casts of We Will Rock You. There’s not a sign of celebrity stunt casting in sight as each member of the company gives a solid five star performance.

The audience lapped up the vocals from the cast and the interval was full of “aren’t the vocals amazing?” comments. Tiffany Graves (as the Killer Queen) gave us riffs galore during her number “A Kind of Magic” whilst leading lady Amanda Coutts (as Scaramouche) sends shivers through the audience in her opening song “Somebody to Love”. Musical theatre people singing rock songs? Works a treat if you ask me, and just goes to show the versatility of these trained performers.

Full of modern references – characters called Britney Spears and Meat Loaf, numerous Facebook jokes, and cheeky digs at Simon Cowell and his X Factor empire – Ben Elton gives us a script that keeps the audience chuckling along nicely. Arlene Phillip’s original choreography is performed to perfection during the opening number “Radio GaGa” and is heightened by four LCD screens providing us the backdrop of a futuristic world.

The Press Night audience were even treated to a special performance from Queen band member Brian May, playing a exhilarating guitar solo in an encore of “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Winner of the 2011 Olivier Audience Award, it is clear to see how the show has been selling out across the world since 2002. Even though this tour features a smaller scaled set from the original production it is still a visual feast and will continue to amaze audiences at the Birmingham Hippodrome for another five weeks. Get tickets now or you will be GaGa to miss it.

Visit the Birmingham Hippodrome site HERE for tickets.

Birmingham Hippodrome - Exclusive Theatre Gossip!

The other week I got a general email from the Birmingham Hippodrome requesting people interested in getting involved writing reviews and blogging for the the theatre. I instantly hit the reply button telling them I would do anything they want me to... It worked!

Now I am a First Night Reviewer for the theatre. After our first meeting yesterday we already have lots of exciting plans ahead.

I'll be filming and blogging from their "Six Summer Saturdays" events which take place around the city for six Saturdays over the summer. Lots of events are taking place, which I get to go to an exciting preview of next week... I'll be sure to report on what to expect!

In the meantime check it out here...
Six Summer Saturday's Link

In addition to that, I'll be working with theatre to report back on some of their top shows including reviews from the Press Night of "We Will Rock You", all the gossip from the press launch of the UK Tour of "Dirty Dancing" and lots more...

The Hippodrome has it's own blog, letting you know what goes on behind the scenes which you can view HERE.

But, if you want all the extra gossip The City Dream's the place to be!

Noises Off - A Classic Farce

I sat at the Birmingham Rep flicking through my programme and I immediately knew I'd be laughing hysterically for the next two and a half hours... Inside the programme for "Noises Off" was a programme from the play within the play entitled "Nothing On". My prediction was correct; the rest of the evening I laughed my socks off at the slick slapstick, outragious acting and the rib tingling dialogue.

The play features a bunch of - erm amazing - actors getting ready to put on a farce. But as the play progresses, there's more drama backstage than in front of the scenery. Complete with a million entrances and exits of misconfusion, missing sardines and stage managers that have to understudy for alcoholic actors the script is a perfect recipe for disaster (in the play within the play... Not the actual play.)

There were some stand out performances, especially from the half naked Djalenga Scott who acts as the diva "Brooke" and spends half of her time half naked on the stage. Her energetic, charming and cute performance had the audience in fits of laughter as she pranced about the stage during her "Nothing On" performance and strutted and tutted during the "Noises Off" section... If that makes sense?



The set is clever, the play in the play takes place in a nice country home and with high walls, many doors and a grand staircase the set helps to keep the slapstick giggles flowing. Then, in Act Two, we see the play from backstage, at this point the audience gets a true feeling for what it feels like to be backstage at a theatre: swinging doors create much humour, rattling staircases create energy and fake walls that actors must "duck" behind in order for them to get from one side of the pretend stage to other creates much laughter, especially when the "duck" joke is carried on into the rest of the play (and the play within the play).



Overall, it was a wonderful night out: with a wonderful script, fabulous acting and an amazing feel good vibe, "Noises Off" makes for a perfect evening for anybody of any age and any interest.

Broadway Openings

The past few days have saw the opening of two completely different musicals on Broadway. The first: a clasic revival, the second: a brand new rock musical. However different they appear to be, they have one thing in common: rave reviews. The two shows I'm talking about are "La Cage Aux Folles" and Green Day's "American Idiot" (respectively).

La Cage follows the story of Georges and Albin - who happen to work at a drag nightclub. George's son is ready to marry but first his fiancee's parents must meet George and Albin. Think "Meet the Fockers" and you've got the picture. This current production is a transfer from the West End and stars Kelsey Grammer as Georges
Douglas Hodge as Albin/Zaza. The show opened April 18th and has been getting some amazing reviews, including the all important New York Times review. The New York Times states “THIS VERSION OF LA CAGE TRIUMPHS!” (What more could a Broadway show ask for?)

As for American Idiot, the musical is based on the songs from the Green Day album (think Mamma Mia / We Will Rock You style). The show premiered at the Berkley Rep in 2009 before transferring to the St James Theatre on Broadway and opening April 20th. The musical follows Johnny, Will and Tunny going through the struggles of teenage life, throw is pregnancy and drugs scandals and you've got the picture. And what did the NY Times think of the show? Well, the title of the review sums it all up "Stomping Onto Broadway With a Punk Temper Tantrum". (Read the full review here: http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/theater/reviews/21idiot.html)

So, we gave Broadway La Cage, could Broadway be kind enough to lend American Idiot to the West End?

Each show is sparkling in it's own right, (La Cage has enough sparkles for all of Broadway,) and with Tony season just around the corner, who knows what could happen?